Agrofood Clusters & Regional Development
The Greek Agrofood industry
A vital economical sector for Greek
 Greek industry is one of the composed of 23 sectors and the most
important of them is the food and drink sector
The largest manufacturing sector in Greece, representing about 21%
of Greek manufacturing industry
 includes more than 1,300 enterprises an creates 70,000 jobs.
The agro-food industry is thus central to the wider, economic
development of Europe as it develops over the next decades
Agriculture in the Greece
Contribution of food industry and food sectors to total Greek Economy
Agriculture in the Greece
Imports of Greek Agriculture Industry
Exports of Greek Agriculture Industry
Sustainable agriculture is a productive, competitive and efficient
way to produce safe agricultural products, while at the same
time protecting and improving the natural environment and
social/economic conditions of local communities
Challenges for Sustainable agriculture
Challenges for sustainable agriculture
o Abundant food insecurity (FAO, 2006)
o Demand for food will increase (Evans, 2009, and others)
o Unsustainable use of natural production factors such as soil,
biological diversity and water (Pimentel et al., 1995; FAO, 2003)
o 60 % of ecosystem services are degraded (Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment, 2005)
o Intensive agriculture is depends on high energy but could be
energy self-reliant and could mitigate GHG emission
considerably (Smith et al., 2007)
o Agriculture is insufficiently prepared to cope with
unpredictability and adaptation to climate change (Lobell et al.,
2008)
Cropland area
Depletion of resources
Water
 ~70% of the Earth’s surface is water
 ~3%
of the Earth’s water is fresh water
 ~70% of fresh water consumption is for
agriculture
 By 2025, half the population may face water
shortages…
Energy
The era of ‘easy’ (and cheap) energy is over…
Instead, we now live in the era of Extreme
Energy
Projected impacts from climate change in different EU regions
The way forward: ”increased productivity of agri- culture in a
sustainable manner”
From focus on
increased
productivity alone
To holistic integration of Natural
Ressource Management with food
and nutritional security
Smart Agriculture Production
•
•
•
•
CAP
Directives
Prices
Global GAP
• Healthy and safe
food
• Traditional
• functional
•
•
•
•
Legislation
& Market
Nature
Consumer
choices
Resources
Climate change
Water shortage
Pest & Diseases
Heat &
• Water, soil,
Energy
• Labour, know
how
Regional Innovation Agro-Food clusters
What is a cluster: a cluster includes firms and other
knowledge-producing
agents
in
a
geographically
concentrated area with inter-linkages among them.
An Agro-Food cluster: A group of farms and/or allied food and
agricultural enterprises, individuals, organizations, and
agencies who work together on shared interests and toward
a common goal.
Consumers
Input
Manufacturers
Organizations
Farmers
Input
Suppliers
Producers
Retailers
Distributors
Agriculture in the Region of Lower
Saxony
Agro-Food Cluster as Regional Economic Dynamic
Agro Food Cluster embeds:
 Resources
 Capabilities
 Competencies
The Competitiveness of industry depends
on innovation and knowledge transfer
What the end
users want
INNOVATION
What is possible
with technology
What is viable in
the marketplace
A case study: Innovation Regional Agro-Food Cluster in
Thessaly for Growth and Rural Development - Agro4Growth
 The Agro4Growth project aims to develop a regional innovation agro food
cluster in the Region of Thessaly, Greece
 The cluster will focus on the Food & Beverage sector, one of the most dynamic
and rapid growing sectors in Thessaly manufacturing
 The Agro4Growth participants will join their forces and utilise clustering and
networking principles for the development and marketing of Thessaly
Innovative and Functional Foods with a particular emphasis on Olive oil,
Vegetables, Dairy Products & Wines.
 The cluster will be developed around cross-cutting enabling technologies (e.g.
ICTs, biotechnology, robotics) and emerging industries in the agro food sector
and it will be mainly based in a practice-based innovation model
Contact us:
Centre for Research and Technology– Hellas (CERTH)
Institute for Research and Technology-Thessaly (IRETETH)
Web site: www.cereteth.gr, www.fooditerranean.com
E-mail address: ckittas@uth.gr
fooditerranean@gmail.com
thomas.bartzanas@gmail.com
sdivane@gmail.com